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Arousal training for children suffering from nocturnal enuresis: a 2 1/2 year follow-up
A van Londen1, M W van Londen-Barentsen, M J van Son
1Department of Child Studies, University Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Insights
Arousal Training, a bibliotherapy method, effectively treats childhood nocturnal enuresis. Parents guide children using urine alarms and rewards, achieving a 98% success rate in this study.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Behavioral Therapy
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Nocturnal enuresis is common in children aged 6-12.
- Existing treatments have varying success rates.
- Bibliotherapy offers a potential non-clinical intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of Arousal Training as a bibliotherapy for nocturnal enuresis.
- To compare Arousal Training with control conditions.
- To assess the long-term effectiveness of Arousal Training.
Main Methods:
- Arousal Training involved parents acting as therapists, using a urine alarm and reward system for operant conditioning.
- Study included non-clinical children aged 6-12 with nocturnal enuresis.
- Follow-up conducted 2.5 years later.
Main Results:
- Arousal Training demonstrated a 98% success rate in initial treatment (N=41) compared to 79% in controls (N=86).
- 100% response rate and no drop-outs were observed.
- Long-term follow-up (N=113) showed 92% continued success, outperforming other methods.
Conclusions:
- Arousal Training is a highly effective, fast, and simple bibliotherapy for childhood nocturnal enuresis.
- It offers a superior treatment option compared to urine alarms alone or with specific instructions.
- The method shows sustained efficacy and high parental compliance.
Abstract:
Arousal Training is a fast, simple, and effective form of bibliotherapy for nocturnal enuresis with non-clinical children between 6 and 12 years of age. The parents act as therapists. They reward the operant behavior-pattern following the urine alarm. The success rate is 98% (N = 41), which is significantly high when compared to the control conditions (79%, N = 86). There was a response rate of 100% and no drop-out from therapy. All parents (N = 127) completed and returned the record. The results of a follow-up of this bibliotherapy (N = 113) 2 1/2 years later are presented. The success rate of Arousal Training was still significantly higher (92% continent) when compared to the urine device with specific instructions (77%) and urine alarm only (72%). Arousal Training is the treatment of choice for non-clinical enuretic children between 6 and 12 years of age.